The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: General

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old May 25, 2008, 03:19 AM   #1
grampi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 15, 2008
Posts: 129
What kind of lubricant do you use on your autoloader?

Just curious what you guys use on the moving parts. I've actually heard that Marvel Mystery Oil works well, but there are probably oils made specifically for guns that work just as well or better, I just don't know what they are. I would think you'd want to use as light of a weight as possible to keep the action as free moving as possible.

Also, when cleaning out the magazine tube (like that of a Marlin 60), should I then be applying a thin coat of some sort of an oil, or should the inside of the mag tube be oil-free?
grampi is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 05:07 AM   #2
Incognito
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 370
Lube

Hey Grampi - I'm partial to using grease on everything. It has a much better affinity to metal than oil; stays where you put it and won't run off or pool. The only time I'll use oil is if the parts are difficult to access and lubicate with grease. Not to sound like a commercial, but Shooter's Choice Synthetic All-Weather High-Tech Grease is wonderful. I can't imagine life without it. One of these syringes lasts a LONG time.


A toothbrush is useful in application.

Then there's TW25B by Mil-Comm. Otherwise known as "whale sperm". This stuff has the consistency of cold creme and can be applied with a small arts paint brush. This is probably the best weapon grease currently available.



As far as the magazine tube is concerned, I would go with a dry metal protective coating like Birchwood Casey's Barricade. That way you don't have to worry about contaminating ammo with oil but you still guard against rust. I've used oil before in the tubes without any issues, but this would be a "politically correct" method of doing it.
Incognito is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 05:30 AM   #3
Martyn4802
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 12, 2007
Location: Grayling, Michigan
Posts: 737
Dry Slide.
No liquid lubes for this application.

Martyn
__________________
US Army Retired
NRA Benefactor Life Member
JPFO
Martyn4802 is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 06:49 AM   #4
45Marlin carbine
Junior member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2007
Location: South-Western North Carolina
Posts: 1,124
I use a moly-bearing roller chain/cable lube I get from Grainger's - can't think of name. I use the Shooter's Choice grease on trigger assembly also.
45Marlin carbine is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 07:23 AM   #5
rezmedic54
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 25, 2005
Location: Arizona
Posts: 288
Oil

I use a new oil called Blue Magic. Works better then anything else I've used in a while.
__________________
Kurt Pietrzak
Maricopa Shooting Service
S.W.A.T. South West Airsoft Tactical
CCW Instrutor
NRA Certified Instructor
Gunsmith
Maricopa ,Az.

http:www.maricopashooting.com
rezmedic54 is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 09:07 AM   #6
grampi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 15, 2008
Posts: 129
electrikladyland

Maybe you can tell me where my train of though is derailed. I think of an autoloader's chamber action as a car's engine. The thinner the lubricant, the less resistance to movement. I know if you were to put 20W-50 oil in a car's engine that calls for 5W-20, you'd lose a significant amount of HP and acceleration would feel sluggish. Wouldn't the same principle apply to an autoloader's action? Don't you want the action to move as easily as possible to avoid FTE problems? Maybe corrolating engine lube and gun lube is irrelevant?
grampi is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 09:40 AM   #7
Lifttech
Member
 
Join Date: April 26, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 17
Quote:
I know if you were to put 20W-50 oil in a car's engine that calls for 5W-20, you'd lose a significant amount of HP and acceleration would feel sluggish.
Grampi, that's a good analogy but just a little too the extreme. The primary purposes for the thinner viscosity engine oils is fuel economy. With that being said, it can and will effect economy by using extra horses to move the thicker lubricant but I don't think you would feel it in the seat.

Ultimately were you see contact/wear is were you need lube(type depends on environment and application). AR bolt carriers can use some lube inside to keep carbon fouling down but gas piston systems need to be run dry.
Lifttech is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 09:53 AM   #8
Incognito
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 370
5W-20

Quote:
Maybe you can tell me where my train of though is derailed.
When you put grease on, it's only a very thin film that is needed, sort of like a slick thin sheen on the parts. Afterwards, the parts feel like they're floating, and not making contact with each other. It is very much the same way oil works, except that it doesn't migrate. Now if you tried to stir a jar of grease as opposed to a jar of oil, there would be a considerable difference, but where not talking about such quantities. That's a common misconception about grease, in that people tend to think of it sort of like a chassis with it "ozzing" out everywhere; not much is needed. Now granted, in extremely cold temperatures, certain greases and oils can become thicker. Nonetheless, the two I mentioned above have operating ranges which are way beyond where I would want to be.

When it comes to lubrication, your going to get as many opinions as there are products out there. The two I mentioned are by far "my favorites" and the only ones I use. This includes using these products in "work guns" which are exposed daily to environmental factors (heat, cold, dust, ect.), and I can say from personal experience that they work for me.

Last edited by Incognito; May 25, 2008 at 11:09 AM.
Incognito is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 10:15 AM   #9
stevelyn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2004
Location: Fairbanksan in exile to Aleutian Hell
Posts: 2,655
Break-Free CLP/LP and Brownell's Action Lube Plus.
__________________
Stop Allowing Our Schools To Be Soft Targets!
http://fastersaveslives.org/

East Moose. Wear Wolf.
stevelyn is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 10:17 AM   #10
res45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 15, 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 753
Grease,I like the Shooter's Choice Synthetic All-Weather High-Tech Grease or Tetra gun grease. For oil I use either Rem oil or Zoom Spout oiler High Temp non gumming turbine oil available at ACE hardware 4oz. about $2.

I make my own cleaning patches,bore cleaner,copper remover.

Lots of good info here. http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm
__________________
The Reloaders Network discord Channel
https://discord.gg/Nafuzht
res45 is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 11:46 AM   #11
sholling
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 18, 1999
Location: Hemet (middle of nowhere) California
Posts: 4,261
Mostly Break Free CLP or Weapons Shield. Both are excellent products. For some limited applications I'll use a dab of Slide Glide Lite.
__________________
Proud Life Member: National Rifle Association, California Rifle & Pistol Association, and the Second Amendment Foundation.
Annual Member: Revolutionary War Veterans Association (Project Appleseed) and the Madison Society.
sholling is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 11:50 AM   #12
CPTMurdoc30
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2008
Location: Stafford VA
Posts: 969
I used to use nothign but rem oil. But I buddy turned me on to grease. Now I lube everything with grease. I found Wilson Combat moly grease works really good on everything I own.

ever can figure out how you can have a lube mixed with a solvent? CLP i can not stand. I guess after having it spit into you face for 8 years you tend to dislike it. Sounds like mixing oil and water to me.
__________________
Solving Virginia's Ground Hog problems 50gr at a time.....
CPTMurdoc30 is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 11:58 AM   #13
Pilot
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 21, 2000
Posts: 4,193
I clean with a cleaner/lube like CLP or usually Tetra gun cleaner then apply a very light coat of Tetra gun grease to the moving parts.
__________________
Pilot
Pilot is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 12:00 PM   #14
Incognito
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 370
Quote:
Never can figure out how you can have a lube mixed with a solvent?
It probably has to do with military logistics. Rather than transport a jug of cleaner, a jug of lubricant, and a jug of preservative, they just mixed it all together into a "soldier-proof" soup. I don't care for it either.
Incognito is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 01:21 PM   #15
no1 waterdog
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 21, 2008
Location: prosser, wa.
Posts: 1
lub.

the new sp10 is the greatest lube I have ever used. great on auto shotguns. John
no1 waterdog is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 02:45 PM   #16
grampi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 15, 2008
Posts: 129
Thanks guys. Sounds like I have plenty of choices.
grampi is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 03:28 PM   #17
CZ for HD
Member
 
Join Date: December 2, 2007
Posts: 16
I use Royal Purple
CZ for HD is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 03:53 PM   #18
tomh1426
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 17, 2005
Location: Youngtown Arizona
Posts: 1,135
I use Weapons Shield on most stuff, Tetra on the slide rails.
tomh1426 is offline  
Old May 25, 2008, 05:50 PM   #19
hodaka
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 2,010
Lubriplate, a little dab will do ya.
hodaka is offline  
Old May 26, 2008, 08:16 AM   #20
Scott
Member
 
Join Date: March 24, 1999
Location: SE Mao-ssachusetts
Posts: 38
Where Ar15s are concerned, I use a light synthetic grease over a coating of "Tef-Dri" where the carrier slides in the reciever and on the contacting sides of the cam pin.
Ballistol on the inner bearing surfaces of the bolt, gas rings, ejector, and firing pin.
A coating of "Tef-Dri" on the locking lugs of the bolt.
__________________
"Truth, by manner of Force, may be crushed to the earth, but crushed or not, Truth is still Truth.
Scott is offline  
Old May 26, 2008, 08:31 AM   #21
Sidetracked
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 12, 2008
Location: Henrietta, FL
Posts: 306
I used to run everything pretty much dry.

Now I oil with a little Tetra-Gun Oil, or Shooter's Choice FP-10. (Which ever bottle is within reach.)
__________________
Feel free to disagree with my opinion. -I do it all the time.
Sidetracked is offline  
Old May 26, 2008, 09:03 AM   #22
KDM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 4, 2006
Location: California
Posts: 457
I like the dry graphite lube you can get from Napa Auto Parts stores. Goes on wet, dries to a nice film real quick. The little red tube puts it right where you want it. Surprising how long it lasts.
__________________
"Ask not for a lighter load. Instead, ask for a stronger back."
KDM is offline  
Old May 26, 2008, 10:35 PM   #23
Stevie-Ray
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2007
Location: The shores of Lake Huron
Posts: 4,783
On slide rails, I've always used RIG grease. CLP for the rest.
__________________
Stevie-Ray
Join the NRA/ILA
I am the weapon; my gun is a tool. It's regrettable that with some people those descriptors are reversed.
Stevie-Ray is offline  
Old May 27, 2008, 07:57 PM   #24
pbrktrt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 9, 2008
Posts: 313
corrosion-x does the job for me. great lube & protectant.
pbrktrt is offline  
Old May 27, 2008, 09:08 PM   #25
LanceOregon
Junior member
 
Join Date: May 10, 2008
Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,774
I've used both Tetra and Shooter's Choice products in the past.

However, Slip 2000 is clearly superior to either of those two products. Just give it a try:





I use it on all of my autoloading firearms, including 7 shotguns, 5 rifles, and 7 pistols.
LanceOregon is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.11412 seconds with 7 queries